No plan to make teaching of yoga compulsory at schools: Govt

The goverment on Thursday said there was no plan to make teaching of yoga compulsory at all the educational institutions in the country. However, it said that yoga is a subject along with physical and health education for schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The goverment on Thursday said there was no plan to make teaching of yoga mandatory at all the educational institutions in the country. However, it said that yoga is a subject along with physical and health education for schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

"No. However, yoga is one of the subjects along with physical and health education, and is also included as part of the physical activity in all schools affliated to CBSE across the country," AYUSH minister Shripad Naik told Rajya Sabha.

The minister further stated that yoga is also included as one of the units under physical education curriculum at the senior secondary level. Moreover, University Grants Commission (UGC) has informed that yoga has been included in the modules on the health, nutrition, fitness and general well-being in all courses at the under-graduate and post-graduate level while framing the revised XIIth Plan guidelines on the scheme of development of sports infrastructure and equipment at universities and colleges, he said.

"Education is a concurrent subject and state governments administer the schools within their jurisdiction (and also) develop and prescribe their own curriculum," Naik said.